Twelve Ministers for Foreign Affairs and six Deputy Ministers participated in the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Central European Initiative held in Trieste on 10 June 2011 and took the opportunity for a large number of bilateral meetings.
This exceptional level of attendance was a great achievement and highlighted the central role the CEI plays in the region.
The ministers exchanged views on long-term strategies to further enhance the role of the CEI as a forum to promote political, economic, cultural and scientific cooperation among the countries of the region as well as an instrument to support European integration. The Ministers welcomed the progress made by many non-EU CEI Member States towards a closer relationship with the European Union. Special emphasis was given to Croatia’s success in Brussels, paving the way for the country to join the EU as the 28th Member State as of 1 July 2013. The ministers also welcomed the CEI’s role as a bridge among the macro-regions (Baltic, Danube, Adriatic-Ionian, Black Sea).The prospect for obtaining an observer status for the CEI in the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) was highly encouraged as well as the need for continued promotion of the development of the civil society.
The importance of cooperation between the CEI and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was emphasised, especially considering the crucial impact of projects implemented through the CEI Fund at the EBRD, funded by Italy with 32.5 million euro since 1992, and aimed at supporting international investments in CEI non-EU countries. All participants considered the Trieste meeting as extremely successful. See also the Communiquè
Photo by: Massimo Silvano